Google X and the Science of Radical Creativity

Much has been made of Google’s X (now part of Alphabet) initiatives – some are envious, some are admiring, many are skeptical. Of the many public descriptions about what really happens at Google X, this article is a valiant attempt at describing what makes Google X either really special or really misguided (or both).

As the author states, “getting invention right is hard, and getting commercial innovation right is hard, and doing both together—as X hopes to—is practically impossible”. The great R&D laboratories of the past – Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, etc. – had their day but they failed in the end and no one expects that model of invention to reappear. But is Google X the new model? It’s necessary to first describe what that model is. Here are the characteristics the author highlights:

A mission to solve big challenges anywhere except in Google’s core business

Specific project criteria – an important question, a radical solution, and a feasible path to get there

A rapid eval team consisting of a diverse team of scouts, skillful in surveying the terrain for signs of pay dirt

Decisions made by groups of creators instead of singular creators or managers

Specific organizational structure and behaviors

psychological safety for people to pursue ideas others deem crazy

“failure value,” a recognition that mistakes are opportunities to learn

It remains to be seen if this model will succeed. Right now, the jury is still out even though some of the Google X graduates are starting to be adopted. It will also be interesting to see if this type of effort will persist when money gets tight. A phenomenal cash flow in the core business can cover a failure rate that couldn’t be supported in other businesses. Nevertheless, Google X may be the future model of company led R&D. It’s a great experiment unfolding before us.